Welcome to CPGD’s brand new newsletter for investors.

We started this newsletter because hundreds of our existing 9,000+ subscribers expressed interest in investing in early stage CPG. So we started curating a Deal Flow Portal with vetted, early-access deals. As both our list of investors and deals grew, we decided to expand our offering into a totally separate newsletter.

Each newsletter will feature:

And to introduce myself: hi, 👋 I’m Lucy. I’ve been leading Partnerships at CPGD and and will be curating these founder stories along with my partner Ryan. I attended the University of Chicago and am currently an MBA student at Wharton.

January has been an incredibly exciting month as we’ve had a record-breaking number of founders reach out to us. We’re so excited to feature the brands and updates below. Enjoy reading!

Highlighting 5 amazing Founders who are raising right now…

Pink Moon: Holistic Wellness & Ancient Wisdom🌙

Health & wellness brand rooted in traditional Chinese medicine with healing products for face and body

Pre-Seed: Raising $1.5M

Founder background: Lin Chen is the founder of Pink Moon. She is a second generation Taiwanese American, certified Reiki practitioner, and has worked in the holistic beauty + wellness industry for a decade

What was the inspiration behind Pink Moon? I started Pink Moon after a long journey of self discovery and rediscovery. Following a series of toxic relationships that took a toll on my overall well-being and after experiencing insomnia, depression, and other health issues I learned to embrace my heritage of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and incorporated Reiki, Aromatherapy, Crystals, and Astrology into my daily rituals. These practices and tools combined helped guide me back to a place of self-love and acceptance, empowerment, and joy.

What does your company do or what problem does it aim to solve? Our mission at Pink Moon is to spread the same joy and comfort I found in this life-changing ancient wisdom and make it more easily accessible for all. Rather than having to spend time researching to find the right practitioner or spending hundreds of dollars to see an in-person practitioner for these various holistic wellness modalities, we transform these practices into accessible tangible high quality products to allow people to easily access the healing benefits of ancient wisdom on-the-go or at home.

Anything you’d like our readers to know? We've built solid growth and achieved $600k in lifetime revenue with barely any paid ads or famous brand ambassadors. I'm really proud of some of the brand partnerships we did in 2023 – my favorites include EM Cosmetics, Digitas, Tory Burch Foundation, FabFitFun, Reese's Book Club (Reese Witherspoon's co), and Gothamista. We are launching in Mexico early this year with Liverpool, the Bloomingdale's of Mexico.

Verify Your Kicks with SneakPeek 👟📱

AI-powered sneaker authentication platform

Seed: Raising $1.5M

Founder background: Justin Kelley is Co-Founder & CEO of SneakPeek. He spent his early career at Visa, working across operations, data analytics, and program management functions. Justin then worked at Google as an AI engineer predicting fashion trends for a major retailer, which sparked his interest in leveraging AI to solve other retail problems. Justin holds a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from UF (2014), a Master of Information Technology degree with a focus on Machine Learning and Software Development from Virginia Tech (2019), and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (2023).

What was the inspiration behind SneakPeek? My co-founder and I have both been sneaker collectors our entire lives. The sneaker culture started out as a community - people would line up just to get their hands on a pair of the latest shoes. Over the last decade, sneakers have been viewed as a new asset class, with many sneakers appreciating well above their retail value, even in used condition. During this same time, the quality of counterfeits on the market has significantly improved. We started SneakPeek to help expedite the current manual authentication process. We decided to build a product that can easily scale at all levels, allowing users to instantaneously detect item anomalies and defects. We then store the authentication history with the asset to provide customers transparency during future transactions.

What does your company do or what problem does it aim to solve? Despite spending millions to create robust human authentication programs, secondhand sneaker resale companies are struggling to scale. Companies are spending millions on labor, months on training and retraining employees, and facing brand reputation damage due to poor authentication. SneakPeek provides instantaneous feedback on product defects and anomalies by leveraging AI to expedite the current manual process. Once we've determined an item is real, we store the authentication history with the assets for visibility in future transactions. While we are starting with sneakers, we are building the authentication engine for the larger collectibles market.

Anything you’d like our readers to know? SneakPeek just graduated from the Fall 2023 class of Techstars Detroit Powered by J.P. Morgan. Our application is planned to launch in app stores by mid-February. We are starting out by releasing our detection feature, which already has over 100+ beta users with a waitlist of over 500.

Maazah’s Adding Flavor To Life 🌶️

Good-for-you Afghan inspired fresh sauces, spreads, and dips

Pre-seed: Raising $1M

Founder backgrounds: Yasameen and Sheila are sisters and founders of Maazah. Yasameen Sajady is an MBA grad and former Social Enterprise Director. She worked closely with young entrepreneurs to develop neighborhood destinations in low-income areas. Sheilla Sajady is a Creative Director with 15+ years of experience. She led the creative and visual direction for billion dollar brands and designer collaborations, crafting powerful marketing strategies that leave a lasting impact on consumers for Target, Ameriprise, and OLSON.

What was the inspiration behind Maazah? As first-generation Afghan Americans growing up in the Midwest, food served as a vital link to our heritage. Inspired by Mom’s magic green chutney recipe, we launched Maazah, meaning flavor in Farsi. We began our journey by handcrafting mom’s sauces and sold them across Minnesota at farmers markets and co-ops. Since those humble beginnings, we have skyrocketed into the CPG scene, winning Kroger’s Go Fresh and Local Supplier Accelerator program and Expo West Pitch Slam. Today, you can find Maazah in over 400 stores nationwide, and we've got more lined up!

What does your company do or what problem does it aim to solve? Maazah is not only an emerging brand in the white space of "chutney" but we are winning in key consumer trends. The great thing about our “Mom’s Magic Sauce” is that it’s versatile and easy to use. Made with all fresh ingredients you can dip, spread or drizzle. This is not just for Indian takeout! Add it to fish tacos, pizza, a charcuterie board, or anything off the grill. The perfect kick of flavor to any style of cuisine at any time of day. Maazah offers restaurant quality flavors and product concepts that consumers are missing from their pantries. As American palates rapidly shift towards global flavors, there is significant opportunity for better representation of Middle Eastern cuisine. Our vision is to boldly re-discover, re-imagine, and re-brand Middle Eastern food.

Anything you’d like our readers to know? We have developed a strong unique brand identity that resonates with our target market and secured strategic shelf placements in 2024 at Target, Whole Foods and Costco. Building on the tremendous success of our clean and better-for-you sauces, we are using our platform to re-imagine a contemporary Middle Eastern food brand. This includes our new lineup of lentil (dal) dips set to make waves launching at Whole Foods in May 2024. These dips are a modern twist on our mom’s dal recipe. Picture them as a hummus upgrade, made with protein-rich lentils instead of chickpeas. As consumers look for cleaner, healthier, and more eco-friendly options, Maazah is at the forefront of delivering unforgettable, authentic flavor experiences that also align with these values.

The Best Plant-based Dishes: Blackbird Foods 🍕

Restaurant quality, alternative protein comfort foods

Pre-A: Raising $1M on convertible note

Founder backgrounds: Emanuel Storch is the founder of Blackbird Foods. He graduated with a degree in Economics from Union College in 2016. From early on, Emanuel has had a passion for entrepreneurship, sustainable food, and agriculture. He apprenticed in restaurant kitchens in NYC and began his journey in the food CPG space as a founding team member at Simply Gum. In January 2020, Emanuel launched Blackbird Foods and joined as CEO where he led the company through expansion into over 3,000 stores and 350 restaurants.

What was the inspiration behind Blackbird Foods? The idea began at a baby shower for one of our founders, who owned a chain of plant-based restaurants in NYC. His friend, who was a vegan chef in Philadelphia, offered to cater the party. The BBQ “pulled pork” sandwiches he made using his own seitan recipe were so good, we asked, “why isn’t this available everywhere?!” We made a decision then to start producing the seitan and selling it to a handful of local restaurants in NYC and Philadelphia. Eventually, it became clear that this deserved to be a business in its own right, and in 2020 Blackbird Foods Inc. was born.

What does your company do or what problem does it aim to solve? Blackbird seitan is a very simple, clean-label product with an impressive macronutrient profile – high in protein, low in fat, low in carbohydrates and of course cholesterol free. Our initial focus was to provide chefs and restaurants with a high-quality plant-based protein that offered the versatility for them to shape, season and cook it according to their own specifications However, as we expanded into the retail space, we found it to be a great base for a variety of pizza toppings and for our newest line of mouth-watering plant-based WINGS.

Anything you’d like our readers to know? While much of our attention is still focused on expanding the footprint of our existing product lines, we absolutely will keep innovating and developing new products. In the short term, we will be expanding our WINGS line beyond our current two varieties and our pizza line. Most of our upcoming products will likely remain in the frozen section, but the focus will be on fun and exciting varieties of our existing products.

Indulge Your Sweet Tooth with Mmmly Cookies 🍪

Better-for-you cookies

SAFE: Raising $500K

Founder background: Nicholas Naclerio is the founder of Mmmly, a nostalgic, better-for-you cookie brand born out of generations of Italian bakers. Nicholas’ journey began with one simple quest: a world in which health and indulgence could coexist. Nicholas worked with experts and leaned on his experience as a pastry chef to craft a modern day cookie that incorporates beloved American flavors, hints of European ingredients inside, and all of the health benefits you deserve.

What was the inspiration behind Mmmly? With multigenerational bread bakeries back in the Campania region of Italy (Positano), my dream has always been to continue the family legacy and bring our history to the United States. After years of working in family owned restaurants in the US, I finally decided to craft a cookie that brings the history of biscotti to the masses. After years of tinkering with Nutella and biscotti recipes, I decided on cookies as they are one of the most beloved snacks in the US and around the globe (a $12B category and growing).

What does your company do or what problem does it aim to solve? Our vision is to redefine the standard for health-conscious staples to align with shifting consumer demand for snacks with no sacrifice on taste and health. We're making it easy to eat what you love.

Anything you’d like our readers to know? We’re raising on a SAFE round at a $4.5M pre-money valuation and 5% discount. Our goal is $500K, with an additional goal to reach $75K within the first two weeks in order to receive a “hot deals” rank on the platform and bring more traffic to the campaign. We’re offering an early bird deal at a total of 15% discount for investment within the first two weeks. This campaign will allow us to launch into secured wholesale accounts including Whole Foods (expansion), Sprouts, Hungryroot, Thrive Market, corporate offices (i.e. Uber, Microsoft), and colleges and universities. We'll also be developing our first-ever nut-free flavors to continue to build category share and increase purchase occasions with "school safe" attributes. Disclosure

Frances Valentine, a New York-based luxury apparel and accessories company is raising! Frances Valentine celebrates the power of personal style through clothes and accessories that boost your mood and tell a story. Founder and CEO Elyce Arons famously co-founded Kate Spade alongside her best friend, Kate. She shepherded the company from inception to international success, growing it into one of the most iconic brands in modern fashion history. In 2016, Elyce, Kate, and Andy Spade launched Frances Valentine as an evolution of their joyful style aesthetic; a brand with heart, soul, and a story to tell.

Elyce’s Story: Elyce and Kate were both from Kansas, met at the University of Kansas, and had big dreams of moving to NYC and starting a fashion brand. And that's exactly what they did! They started Kate Spade together, scaled it, and sold it. They never thought they would work again, but ultimately had the itch to build. They started Frances Valentine together before Kate's passing. Elyce continues to shepherd and grow the brand powerfully. She clearly knows how to start, scale, and sell a lifestyle brand like this. She's been there and done that.

Raising an SPV of $500k+ to accelerate the growth of the business. Reach out to Lara ([email protected]) for details if interested in learning more!

Some brands reached out to give an update on how they’re doing. Keep an eye out for these amazing founders!

Congratulations to Jupiter on their Latest Round of Funding!

Scalp and hair brand Jupiter raised $3M in funding from Springdale Ventures, Willow Growth Partners, and SWAT Equity Partners. The capital will go towards expanding distribution and merchandise to help the Company build upon its already successful business.

“From 2022 to 2023, our sales shot up by 115%. We registered a 40% 12-month repeat purchase rate. We have plans to break into retail in a significant way.” - Robbie Salter, founder & co-CEO

hey freya

Womens supplement and wellness brand in pursuit of better care

“hey freya is proud to have developed, manufactured and brought to market five proprietary supplement formulas (a total of six SKUs) within our first year of operations. This is twice as fast as the industry average!

This year, we will be launching our naturopathic product line, including our new antioxidant-packed hydration powder, Quench, and anti-anxiety supplement, Calm. We will also be commencing clinical trials and supporting ongoing machine learning research with our partner, Northeastern University, on cortisol, a key stress hormone, and the effects of gender-specific stressors on sleep quality.

Building hey freya has been incredibly intentional, and as three minority women, we wanted to feel representation at every stage of building this company. We actively pursue first time investors in an effort to demystify the exclusivity that exists around building a successful startup. We’re also proud to share that while we started with a benchmark of allocating at least 51% of the committed capital to diverse check writers, we’ve well surpassed that (currently ~80%). You can read more about our mission and how it comes to life in our blog post, here” - Cecilia Tse, co-Founder and CFO/COO

SAYSO

Premium craft cocktail solution in a tea bag format

“2023 was an exciting year for SAYSO. We grew our revenue to $642K - more than 5X our 2022 revenue ($113K). This is largely due to entering the natural grocery channel, which will be our main growth channel in 2024.

In 2024, we launched nationally with Sprouts (400 locations) on January 1st, in the innovation set. Our 2024 goals include: achieve $1.5M in revenue, expand retail door count to 600, launch 2 new flavors (Hibiscus Cosmopolitan and Espresso Martini), and hire a full-time Head of Sales. We will also introduce the liquor channel in 2024, beginning with a test in New Jersey in partnership with Allied Beverage Group.

As a scrappy team of 2 women, we are proud of all that we’ve accomplished to date and we welcome any conversations about our plans for our continued growth. Please reach out to connect – we look forward to speaking to you!” - Alison Evans, co-founder

123 Babybox

Baby subscription box deliveries

“In 2023, 123 Babybox grew by 40% and surpassed half a million in lifetime revenue! Key highlights from 2023 include: receiving our second acquisition offer from a billion dollar subscription box company, launching our product placement service in July and signing 14 companies in 6 months (including Begin Health, Freestyle Diapers, Kekoa Foods, and many more), growing our margin from 32% to 56%, creating 2 of our own products for our box, and growing organic traffic by 95%.

Last year, our focus was getting to profitability, and heading into 2024, we will be all about growth.” - Zarina Bahadur, founder & CEO

Rosette Consulting

Meet Lily and Sumukh from Rosette Consulting!

Rosette is a strategic growth firm for VC funds and startups:

“We act as an agent of your company - working as an extension of your team, getting you into the right rooms, making meaningful introductions, and being a sounding board as you navigate new challenges.

For VC funds, we add fractional platform support to optimize internal operations and accelerate the growth of your portfolio companies. For startups, we support you as business development consultants, helping you figure out where to allocate your resources and opening up our networks to accelerate your progress.”

Lily and Sumukh are both former founders and have also spent time as investors and operators in the CPG space. Post MBA, Lily moved to the investment side of CPG where she advised startups, especially pertaining to hiring, business development, and fundraising. Sumukh most recently served as Chief of Staff to startup founders, helping optimize internal operations and navigating fundraising rounds, and then ran BD/Partnerships at a wellness marketplace. They were introduced through a mutual business friend and decided to join forces to support VC funds and startups.

If you or your portfolio company is working on a unique adventure, reach out to ([email protected]) and find some time to connect 😊

Liked the spotlights above? Check out our Deal Flow Portal (password = betterforyou) for a full list of vetted CPG startups currently raising! We refresh this portal every month with new brands.

And if you have a portfolio company raising who wants to be featured or would like to chat, feel free to reach out ([email protected])!

-Lucy